Vermont Civil Money Penalty Grant Program

The Vermont Civil Money Penalty Grant Program aims to utilize federally imposed civil money penalty funds to enhance the quality of care and life for residents in CMS-certified nursing homes. It invites applications for innovative quality improvement initiatives that go beyond standard operations, focusing on evidence-based practices. Eligible organizations include consumer advocacy groups, nursing home associations, and academic institutions, while ensuring compliance with federal health standards.

Overview
A Civil Money Penalty is the monetary penalty the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impose against CMS Certified Nursing Facilities (SNF/NF’s) for either the number of days or for each instance a facility is not in substantial compliance with one or more Medicare and/or Medicaid participation requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities.
About CMP Funds
Civil money penalties (CMPs) are fines imposed on nursing facilities that do not meet federal health and safety standards. The State of Alaska receives a portion of the funds collected to be reinvested in support of projects that improve the overall quality of life and/or care of nursing facility residents.
Nursing facility providers, stakeholders and other organizations are encouraged to submit CMP fund grant applications for the development and implementation of quality improvement initiatives that directly or indirectly benefit nursing facility residents.
Project proposals should demonstrate current and sound evidence-based practices that promote quality of care and quality of life for nursing facility residents. CMP fund grants are only available for quality improvement initiatives that are outside the scope of normal facility operations.
Goal
The goal of the Vermont Civil Money Penalty Grant Program is to facilitate the use of federally imposed civil money penalty funds to support activities that support, protect, and benefit residents of CMS-certified nursing homes.
These initiatives should showcase a variety of enhancement or educational philosophies through current and sound evidence-based practices that promote quality of care and quality of life for nursing facility residents.
Funding Uses
The following examples of allowable uses of CMP funds are not all-inclusive. Please see the Allowable and Non-Allowable Uses of CMP Funds download for more information. CMP funds may be used for:
Assistance to support and protect residents of a facility that closes or is decertifiedTime-limited expenses incurred in the process of relocating residents to home and community-based settings or another facility when a facility is closed or downsized pursuant to an agreement with the state Medicaid agencyProjects that support resident and family councils and other consumer involvement in assuring quality care in facilitiesFacility improvement initiatives, such as joint training of facility staff and surveyors, or technical assistance for facilities implementing quality assurance and performance improvement programsTraining to improve quality of careActivities to improve quality of life, foster social interaction, and movement and minimize lonelinessIn-person visitation aidsCommunicative technology for resident use

Eligibility

Organizations that may qualify for use of CMP grant funds include, but are not limited to:Consumer advocacy organizationsResident or family councilsProfessional or state nursing home associationsCMS-certified long-term care facilities (SNF, NF)VendorsState AgenciesAcademic institutionsQuality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO)Veterans' homes and Indian Health Service/tribal LTC facilitiesFacilities must be in compliance with CMS requirements to apply.

Ineligibility

Funds cannot be used to bring facilities back into compliance with CMS requirements.Projects cannot exceed 3 years.The following examples of non-allowable uses of CMP funds are not all-inclusive. Please see the Allowable and Non-Allowable Uses of CMP Funds download for more information:Capital ImprovementsNursing home services or supplies that are already the responsibility of the nursing home, such as laundry, linen, food, heat, staffing costs, medical equipment, resident transportation, resident beds, etc.Palliative Care ServicesPreviously denied CMRP ProjectsSupplementary funding of federally required services (e.g., Quality Improvement Organization-Quality Improvement Network Initiatives).Projects for which a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest exists